Holtz, Irish Still Searching For Way Out Of Mousetrap

September 06, 1995|By Joseph Tybor, Tribune Staff Writer.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Lou Holtz continued to grope for answers Tuesday to the worst losing string since he came to Notre Dame 10 years ago.

He put the blame on the reduction of NCAA-allowable scholarships; the fact that the Irish don't scrimmage as often as they used to; the lack of big-play men other than receiver Derrick Mayes; and an offensive line that is missing "spark and mental toughness."

As the Irish get ready for Purdue on Saturday at West Lafayette, Holtz acknowledged that this season presents one of the biggest challenges of his coaching career.

He won't get any argument from Notre Dame fans who have questioned his predictability and his play-calling in the 17-15 loss to Northwestern last week.

A loss to the Boilermakers could plunge the Irish into a disastrous season. Northwestern and Purdue were considered two of six "gimmee" games on the Irish schedule.

Now, everything is up for grabs. Purdue beat a ranked West Virginia team on Saturday; Vanderbilt, the following week's opponent, threw a scare into Alabama; and the Irish face five other ranked teams in Texas, Ohio State, Washington, Southern Cal and Air Force, not to mention the perennially thorny Boston College.

"I don't want any cheese; I just want out of the trap," Holtz managed to joke Tuesday.

As he tries to pinpoint problems, Holtz said reduced scholarship numbers don't allow him to run the tough scrimmage-like practices he used to run during the week before a game.

"I wish we could go out and hire a scout squad," he said. "If you played football before, come in, we'll pay you $5 an hour; come in four to six, get all your vindictiveness out."

Despite the loss to Northwestern, Holtz said his Irish "are not a bad football team, as crazy as that would seem," but it's clear he is perplexed.

"If you think Notre Dame is down forever," he cautioned, "you're wrong.

"This team could go 0-11, pessimistically," he said. "The most optimistic outlook is we could go 10-1.

"We ain't going to forfeit. You just never give up. That's not just an adage; that has to be a lifestyle. You've got to check your hole card. If you think the stakes are a little too high, you should have checked it before the game started."